Dear Seifer...
by generalquistis
Summary: Quistis writes something... and then something happens... just READ! I suck at summaries...
1. Dear Seifer

Dear Seifer  
  
By: General Quistis  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story plot and the poems…  
  
Author's Notes: I really made this poem for "my" Seifer (if you know what I mean… I won't mention his real name anymore for personal reasons… but maybe I can tell you now that he's the reason why I still believe in love and why I shouldn't be afraid to fall in-love… okay, that was mushy… but anyway…), but then things got boring and so I decided to just make a fic out of it… it's just like my first seiftis (Poetry For The Soul), if you remember that, I combined a narrative with poetry… and now, here I go again… Read on and find out, and if you have time, please review… but if you are just going to insult this fic or flame this, well then WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO TALK TO THE WALL?! I've got better things to do than to deal with assholes like you!!! :(  
  
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Dear Seifer, I'm confused.  
  
Feeling so glum and so used.  
  
Because my heart is still bruised  
  
I just decided to write to you.  
  
Dear Seifer, he broke my heart  
  
He placed an ending to a start.  
  
And he left a horrible mark…  
  
Making me scared to a shock…  
  
Dear Seifer, there you are,  
  
Seemingly near but so far…  
  
So I wish to a shooting star  
  
That someday we'll meet again…  
  
Dear Seifer, I'm in-love  
  
You make me live though I starve.  
  
In my heart, your name I shall carve  
  
But tell me, do you feel the same?  
  
Dear Seifer, please don't hurt me  
  
Just like what he did…  
  
Because I'm scared of the horrible pain,  
  
Won't you please ease my fears?  
  
Dear Seifer, I miss you so  
  
Wond'ring when your feelings will show.  
  
So still, I sit alone, letting the winds blow  
  
1 The song of the night with my loving lyrics  
  
Especially for you…  
  
***  
  
She dropped the pen on her study desk with a miserable sigh and then turned to look at the wall clock. "12:00 midnight…"  
  
She looked away with a frown on her face. "And I have to assist Cid & Matron at 8:30…" she thought as she shoved the paper and pen away from her and she crouched against the desk, burying her face in her arms.  
  
Finally, she fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
"It's so nice to be back here…" Edea told Cid as she leaned back on the couch.  
  
Cid smiled as he leaned back on his office chair. "And I'm so happy to have you back here at the Garden especially after what happened." He said.  
  
Edea sighed. "I can't believe that it's finally over… I mean, just days ago, Squall and the others were able to defeat Ultimecia… and we had a victory party and then nothing seems to be wrong nowadays." She said as she watched Cid rummaging through some school records. "What are those?" she asked.  
  
"I'm thinking if I should give merit points to Squall, Selphie and Zell for being such great fighters." He replied with a happy smile.  
  
She smiled gently. "That's good! I think they really deserve those merit points…are those their records?" she asked.  
  
"Yep. I asked Xu to deliver them here earlier…" he replied as he separated the 4 folders from one another. Cid frowned. "Four?" he thought as he scanned the last one.  
  
Edea blinked and studied the last folder. "Who's the other one?" she asked.  
  
"I absolutely have no idea… it must've went with these three accidentally. I think it's not even alphabetized…" he replied as he opened the last folder. He frowned slightly. "Almasy, Seifer." He read aloud.  
  
Edea's mouth dropped open. "Wh…where is Seifer, anyhow?" she asked.  
  
Cid fell silent and then turned to his wife. "I don't know… I haven't seen him around lately…" he replied with a clueless look.  
  
Edea stood up and was about to head for the door, but she stopped when Quistis entered.  
  
Quistis smiled at them despite her sleepiness. "Good morning, Matron… good morning, Headmaster Cid." She greeted.  
  
Cid stood up from his seat. "Oh, good to have you here, Quisty… anyway, have you seen Seifer around here lately? I haven't seen him for a couple of days already…" he said.  
  
"Question is was he even at our victory party?" Edea asked, turning to him.  
  
Quistis stared at them for a while and then spoke up with an unsure tone. "I thought you all knew that he's a drop-out?"  
  
Cid and Edea exchanged confused glances. "Drop-out? He's not yet even qualified to be expelled from this Garden!" Cid told her.  
  
Edea turned to Quistis. "We landed the Garden last night, where are we?" she asked.  
  
"Balamb." Quistis replied simply.  
  
Edea sensed that Quistis has this uneasiness in her and that she didn't look alright. "Are you okay, Quisty?" she asked.  
  
Quistis nodded her head; a tired look could already be seen in her eyes. "Don't worry about me, Matron… anyway, what can I do for you today, sir?" she asked, turning to Cid.  
  
Cid sighed heavily. "Well… first of all, I'd like you to get Seifer's other records… all of it. And while you're at it, you also get Raijin's and Fuujin's." he said.  
  
"Yes, sir." Quistis replied before she left the office.  
  
Edea turned to Cid. "Something's wrong with her." she said with a serious voice.  
  
Cid nodded. "I'd better check on the others first…" he muttered…  
  
***  
  
"Attention: Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Selphie Tilmitt, report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. I repeat: Squall Leonhart, Zell Dincht and Selphie Tilmitt, report to the Headmaster's Office immediately. Urgent. Thank you."  
  
Cid's voice echoed through all the hallways in the Garden.  
  
"What does he want now?" Zell complained with an annoyed look as he got up from his seat in the Cafeteria.  
  
"I don't know… maybe he has another mission for us!" Selphie said excitedly as she followed Zell.  
  
"Too bad about those hotdogs… I'll just eat more later…" Zell said as he and Selphie made their way to the Headmaster's Office.  
  
"The whole place is so different without Seifer…" Selphie remarked as she looked around while waiting for the elevator door to open.  
  
The moment they got inside the elevator, Zell pressed the 3rd floor button. "Yeah, it's very peaceful." He said as the door closed.  
  
The elevator began to move but it stopped when it reached the second floor. The door opened and there was Squall.  
  
"Oh, hey, Squall! Whatcha doin' in the second floor at 8:45 in the morning?" Zell asked with a silly grin.  
  
Squall stepped inside and the door closed. "Making rounds." He replied.  
  
"Isn't that supposed to be the job of the Disciplinary Committee?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Well, they aren't here. Somebody's gotta do the dirty job." He told her as he crossed his arms.  
  
"Where's Rinoa?" Zell asked with a teasing smile.  
  
"Oh, she's staying in the hotel at Balamb. She can't stay here at Garden because she's an outsider. I'll go and see her later." Squall said with a weak smile.  
  
"Good for you… well anyway, I wonder what Cid wants now?" Selphie said with a cheerful smile.  
  
"A mission?" Squall suggested.  
  
The elevator stopped and they got off…  
  
***  
  
"This is totally great… go look for Seifer and his posse." Zell complained while punching the air as they made their way to town.  
  
"Are you swatting at flies?" Selphie asked.  
  
Zell eyed her. "That's Seifer's line, but since you said it, I forgive you." He said with a frown.  
  
She shrugged. "Hey, Squall, why don't you say something?" she said as she skipped.  
  
Squall was frowning and was looking straight ahead, eyeing the town as if it were the enemy's ship.  
  
"Squall? Are you okay?" she asked, nudging him.  
  
"Who would be okay if you were asked by the Headmaster to go and search for people who are not even worth seeing?" Squall replied with clenched fists.  
  
"I would." Selphie replied with a cheery smile.  
  
Squall and Zell stopped walking and turned to her. "Did you hit your head or something and then you're already excited about seeing Seifer?" Zell demanded.  
  
"I'm perfectly normal even though I only slept for 7 hours last night… but anyway, of course, I'm excited about seeing Seifer! I mean, we all haven't even spoken with him ever since…" she stopped talking when the two boys went off without her. She frowned and ran after them. "HEY!" she called out.  
  
She caught up with them but she couldn't make them stop, so she jumped up to Zell, riding his back. Zell almost lost his balance. "SELPHIE?! GET OFF ME!" he yelled in annoyance.  
  
"Heeheeheehee! Hey, Squall, do you remember when Seifer and Quistis would play horsey when we were kids! It's fun watching them, especially when Seifer couldn't hold her any longer and he'd try to stand up straight again to make her fall, but she was good at holding on to his hair! Teeheehee! And he'd be the one to fall face-first into the sand by the beach! Do you still remember that?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, I still do, but can you please get off my back because I'm not Seifer and you are definitely not Quistis!" Zell said.  
  
"I ain't gettin' off ya 'til we reach town!" she said with a singsong voice.  
  
"Oh brother…" Squall muttered as they continued their way to town. When they reached town, Selphie still refused to get off Zell's back. "Go, horsey, go, horsey!" she cheered.  
  
"Selphie, we're 17 years old and we're not kids anymore! Can you please get off me now?" Zell pleaded.  
  
"Not until we reach the hotel!" she said with a singsong voice.  
  
"Why the hell would we go to the hotel?" he asked with an annoyed look.  
  
"I don't know… we could ask if Seifer's been there!" she replied.  
  
"People are looking at you." Squall reminded them with a smile.  
  
"Don't stress it…" Zell muttered, blushing.  
  
Just as they were passing by the front door of the Dincht's (with Zell hoping that his mother wouldn't see him), the front door opened and there was Ma Dincht with a basket. She smiled. "Oh, Zell! Hi! What are you kids doing here in town? Did Mister Kramer give you a vacation?" she asked.  
  
"No. He didn't, Mrs. Dincht. We were just assigned to go look for missing persons." Selphie explained with a sweet smile.  
  
Ma Dincht nodded. "Uh-huh… I see… well then… oh, Zell, you haven't even introduced your new girlfriend to me!" she said while giggling excitedly.  
  
Zell turned red. "Ma," he began.  
  
"This is gonna take long, I'll go ahead." Squall said before he left them.  
  
"Squall! Don't leave me here with Selphie!" Zell wailed.  
  
"Oh, me? Zell's girlfriend?" Selphie asked with a surprised smile.  
  
"Are you not?" Ma Dincht asked her.  
  
***  
  
Quistis opened the last drawer of the steel cabinet inside the infirmary. "Have you found what you were looking for?" Dr. Kadowaki asked as she stood up from her seat.  
  
"Not yet… but I hope it's here…" Quistis replied with a weak smile as she began to search. "Well then, I'll leave you here for a while. I need to go and check on the isolation room. 5 students caught the flu." Dr. Kadowaki said before she left.  
  
Quistis ignored her and continued her job. "I already have everything but Seifer's medical records…" she thought miserably.  
  
Finally, she saw the folder with the label "Almasy, Seifer" on the tab. She smiled victoriously and got it. She placed it on top of the pile of folders she got earlier from different offices and with one lazy effort, grabbed everything in her arms and stood up, but the folder with Seifer's medical records fell off and flipped open when it landed on the floor, scattering the papers inside. Quistis rolled her eyes in annoyance and placed the others on the table beside her before she bent down to gather the mess. "Dammit, dammit, dammit… must you always cause me trouble?!" she thought to herself as she thought of Seifer's annoyingly handsome grin.  
  
She got the last of the papers and saw that it was some kind of bio-data with a 2 by 2 I.D. picture pasted on the upper right hand corner. She scanned the picture for a while and smiled. "Seifer," she whispered.  
  
… and suddenly, she felt so lonely…  
  
She was interrupted when Dr. Kadowaki came in again. "You okay, Quistis?" she asked.  
  
Quistis sniffed and placed the papers inside the folder. Once she blinked, tears fell from her eyes. She frowned and cursed herself for letting out her emotions. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said with a trembling voice while trying to hide her face from Dr. Kadowaki.  
  
She hurriedly got all the folders and rushed out of the infirmary.  
  
***  
  
Squall went straight to the receptionist. "Uh… excuse me, I'd like to know the room of Miss Rinoa Heartilly?" he asked.  
  
The receptionist smiled at him. "Oh, Miss Heartilly? She's in room 205… would you like me inform her that you are a visitor?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, please… and by the way, did you have any guests by the name of Mister Seifer Almasy?" he asked.  
  
She thought for a while and then opened her logbook. It took her a few minutes before she answered Squall's question. "Yes, we have a Mister Seifer Almasy here… he's in room 309." She told him before she closed the logbook. "Are you a friend of his?" she asked.  
  
"Uh… yeah," Squall replied with an uneasy smile on his face. "But… by any chance, did you notice two other people with Mister Almasy? Uh… the other one's a guy and he is taller than Seifer and the other one's a girl about my height?" he continued, trying to keep a cool facial expression.  
  
"Why, yes… but they checked-out yesterday evening. They used to occupy room 310, the room next to Mister Almasy's… why?" she asked as she reached for the phone.  
  
"Nothing." He replied, looking away.  
  
"Your name, please?" she asked as she held the receiver and began to dial some numbers.  
  
"Squall Leonhart." He replied.  
  
The receptionist was quiet for a while and then she spoke up again with a cheery tone, "This is the receptionist… Miss Heartilly?" she asked. She nodded. "Yes, yes, it's Mister Leonhart, ma'am. Shall he wait for you downstairs or I'll ask him to come up there?" she asked.  
  
Squall looked around the place and focused his eyes on the stairs. "Okay." He heard the receptionist say before she hung up.  
  
"Mister Leonhart, Miss Heartilly is requesting you wait for her here downstairs… she'll be coming down in a few minutes… in the meantime, why don't you take your seat on the couch over there?" she told him, referring to the black leather couch by the main entrance.  
  
Squall nodded and went there with thoughts on his mind. "Seifer's here all the time… I wonder if Rinoa knew that…" he thought. Then, he stopped walking and turned to the stairs. When he knew that the receptionist wasn't looking, he ran upstairs and headed for the second floor to Rinoa's room.  
  
He entered without knocking, surprising Rinoa. Angelo jumped off from the bed and ran to Squall, begging. Squall smiled and patted the dog's head.  
  
Rinoa stood up from the dresser and put down her hairbrush. "Squall, I thought you're still downstairs waiting for me?" she asked with a sweet smile before she ran to him and embraced him tightly. "I missed you!" she said.  
  
Squall smiled. "Same… anyway… I'd like to ask your help…" he began with an uneasy look.  
  
Rinoa commanded Angelo to go to the window just stay there. Then, she turned to Squall. "Well, what is it?" she asked.  
  
Squall sat down on the bed. "Have you seen Seifer lately?" he asked.  
  
Rinoa's smile faded. "That's why I wanted to meet you today at lunch but fortunately, you came early… because as a matter of fact, Raijin and Fuujin were the ones I saw the other day." She told him with a concerned look.  
  
Squall frowned. "What about those two?" he asked.  
  
"I was having my dinner at the lobby restaurant and I saw them together. They were seated on the table next to mine but luckily, they weren't able to recognize me because I wore different clothes last night and I tied up my hair in a ponytail. Anyway, they were discussing something about Seifer and his plans but they were having second thoughts about it helping him." She explained with a whispery tone.  
  
"Plans?" he asked.  
  
Rinoa nodded uneasily. "It's pretty creepy if you ask me… because I also heard from Raijin that Seifer is planning to get back in the Garden. He also said something about preparing and fixing a house…" she continued.  
  
Squall raised an eyebrow. "House?" he asked in disbelief.  
  
Rinoa sat down beside him. "I don't know about any houses." She told him honestly.  
  
Squall scratched his head. "Prepare and fix the house? I wonder…" he thought.  
  
"Do you think he's up to something bad again?" she asked.  
  
Squall shrugged. "Tell you what, why don't you check out today and I'll just convince Matron to make Headmaster Cid let you sleep in one of the vacant dorm rooms or just sleep-over at Selphie's or Quistis' room?" he asked her.  
  
Rinoa shrugged. "I don't know about you but okay… as long as it's Quistis' room and you'll let Angelo sleep in your room…" she said with a wink. "But why not let me sleep in your room?" she asked with a teasing smile.  
  
Squall eyed her.  
  
Rinoa giggled. "I was only kidding, Squall." She said as she gently nudged his arm.  
  
***  
  
Rinoa observed Quistis quietly seated by the window and looking up at the night sky. Then, she turned to look at the clock and it read 10:00 pm. With that, she turned back to Quistis. "Are you okay, Quistis?" she asked.  
  
The strawberry-blonde haired girl nodded with a blank look on her face.  
  
Rinoa plopped down on the mattress on the floor. "Thanks for allowing me to sleep here tonight, Quistis." She said.  
  
"No problem…" Quistis replied with a low tone.  
  
Rinoa frowned and sat down again, looking at Quistis. "A penny for your thoughts?" she asked.  
  
Quistis was silent for a while and then spoke up with an uneasy tone. "How the hell did you fall in-love with Squall?" she asked.  
  
Rinoa was surprised with the question but it made her smile shyly. She looked down and blushed, shrugging. "I don't know… I guess it just hit me… why?" she asked.  
  
Quistis' eyes narrowed. "What about Seifer?" she asked with a hard tone.  
  
Rinoa's smile faded. "Huh?" she asked.  
  
"He was your ex, right?" Quistis asked, looking at Rinoa with searching eyes.  
  
Rinoa stared at her for a while and smiled gently. "Right, he was my ex… but I realized that I never really loved him. He was just there as a friend and nothing more… I realized everything because of Squall… why do you ask?" she asked.  
  
Quistis smiled sadly and looked away. "Good for you, you have your Squall…" she said softly.  
  
Rinoa got up from her mattress and joined Quistis. "Aww, why that sad look?" she asked as she patted Quistis' shoulder.  
  
Quistis smiled bitterly. "Rinoa," she began.  
  
"Yeah?" Rinoa asked with a concerned look on her face.  
  
Quistis looked down at the windowpane. "How the hell did I fall in-love with Seifer?" she asked with a trembling voice.  
  
Rinoa's eyes grew wide in surprise. Suddenly, she didn't know how to react. Quistis Trepe crying? Quistis Trepe in-love with Seifer Almasy?  
  
She wondered… but she reached out for Quistis and gave her a comforting hug. "Shh… just let your tears fall, Quisty… it's alright to cry… now, why don't you tell me all about it so that somehow, you can get it off your chest and help you ease up a little? I promise I won't say anything to Selphie, Zell, Irvine, even to Squall and Edea…" Rinoa told her with a gentle tone as she gently patted Quistis' back while listening to her helpless sobs…  
  
***  
  
Quistis rubbed her tired eyes and looked up at the clock. "11:45 pm…" she read quietly. Moments ago, she was confessing everything to Rinoa, and now, she's seated by her study desk with a pen and paper, writing things to make her feel comfortable. She sighed heavily as she listened to Rinoa's snoring. The girl fell asleep 5 minutes ago as soon as she lied down on her mattress.  
  
Quistis' grip on the pen tightened as she continued to write again…  
  
***  
  
Dear Seifer, I am tired  
  
Of saying that you are admired  
  
By me whom you've gotten fired  
  
From my job as an instructor…  
  
And you don't even know  
  
Every single factor  
  
On why I spent the rest of my restless life  
  
Just thinking about you…  
  
***  
  
She stopped writing and she frowned. She scratched her head. "This is getting mushy…" she thought miserably as she placed the paper away from her and hid it under a pile of her books about Guardian Forces.  
  
She got up from her chair and switched off the lamplight and carefully made her way to her bed. Just as she was about to lie down, she heard a beep from outside her door. She frowned because as she had recalled, she already set the lock to that automatic door. She stood moved away from her bed, careful not to step on Rinoa who was still sound asleep on the floor. "Is somebody unlocking the door from the controls outside?" she thought silently to herself as she realized that she was still in her SeeD uniform, unlike Rinoa who's been in pajamas ever since 9:00 in the evening.  
  
She slowly made her way to the door, her Save the Queen in her grasp. "Who would sneak in here? Squall?" she thought in annoyance.  
  
"Okay… here goes…" she thought silently as she unlocked the automatic door. It suddenly opened up but before she could back off a little, somebody grabbed her and pulled her outside. She let out a scream, enough to awaken Rinoa.  
  
Rinoa got up in alarm upon hearing the scream. "Quistis?!" she called out. The automatic door slammed shut and she heard heavy footsteps from outside. Rinoa rushed outside and she suddenly felt panicky when she saw that it was dark. "Oh hell!?" she cursed in annoyance as she continued to run in the dark hallway, not caring if she bumped into several things on her way down the dark hallway. From afar, she could still hear Quistis' screams but suddenly, it was quiet. Rinoa only stopped running when she tripped against a flowerpot. She fell forward onto the floor and let out a loud "OW! DAMMIT!" as she struggled to get up. "Where the hell are the others?! Didn't they hear the scream?! And where the hell is the main light switch of this hallway?!" she remarked in total panic. Finally, she was able to feel the light switch and in an instant, all the lights in the hallway were on.  
  
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" she heard Zell's voice from his dorm room.  
  
Rinoa wondered why the others were also shouting from inside their dorm rooms and banging against their automatic doors… and she realized that every single door had been locked from the outside. "Uh-oh…" she muttered when she realized that this was some kind of big trouble…  
  
----- to be continued… 


	2. Dear Seifer II

Dear Seifer  
  
By: General Quistis  
  
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Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the story plot and the poems…  
  
Author's Notes: I really made this poem for "my" Seifer (if you know what I mean… I won't mention his real name anymore for personal reasons… but maybe I can tell you now that he's the reason why I still believe in love and why I shouldn't be afraid to fall in-love… okay, that was mushy… but anyway…), but then things got boring and so I decided to just make a fic out of it… it's just like my other seiftis (Poetry For The Soul), if you remember that, I combined a narrative with poetry… and now, here I go again… Read on and find out, and if you have time, please review… but if you are just going to insult this fic or flame this, well then WHY DON'T YOU JUST GO TALK TO THE WALL?! I've got better things to do than to deal with assholes like you!!! :(  
  
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1 Dear Seifer, take me away  
  
To a much safer place  
  
Away from sadness, away from disgrace  
  
Away from everyone, even for a day…  
  
2 Only to be with you  
  
Even if it would mean everything's through…  
  
If someone loves you, please ask me who  
  
But I am sorry if for now, I can't answer you…  
  
***  
  
Rinoa was already pacing back and forth inside the Headmaster's Office. Cid was seated, his head bowed down.  
  
Edea was looking outside the window, observing the sunrise.  
  
"All the doors in the dormitory were locked and the guard at the front gate was tied up to boot and was asleep, and they were able to enter through the front gate and I don't know how they did it because you'll still be asked for your I.D. when it's already past curfew…" Cid explained with a troubled look.  
  
Edea turned to Rinoa with a worried look on her face. "Rinoa, I think you should rest for a while. The whole night's been stressful for you." She suggested, ignoring her husband.  
  
Rinoa stopped and shook her head. "I can't sleep with all of this trouble… I'm worried about Quistis… what if something happened to her?" she asked with tear-stained eyes.  
  
Edea went to her and embraced her. "Don't worry about her, Rinoa… I'm sure she's okay… Hyne… Cid, who would kidnap Quistis anyway?" she asked with a worried look.  
  
Cid stood up. "I don't know… and guess what, the things that those kidnappers did to the doors and to the front gate were part of the strategies that I taught some students in this Garden." He explained.  
  
"Maybe they were students here at the Garden." Rinoa suggested while sniffing.  
  
"Students here?" Cid asked, turning to her.  
  
Edea let go of her and went to Cid. "She has a point. How else would those kidnappers enter without Balamb Garden I.D.'s?" she asked.  
  
"Whoever they are, they're in serious trouble… they even hacked through the main control system of the Garden and now all the doors in the dormitory are jammed! They need to be torn down manually!" Cid explained.  
  
"Shall we call on a repairman or something?" Edea asked with a weak smile.  
  
"No, I'll let the faculty deal with it." Cid replied before he walked out of his office.  
  
Rinoa sat down on the floor and hugged herself. "Squall's still in his room?" she asked.  
  
Edea nodded. "Yep… unless we tell him to destroy the door with his Gunblade…" she said with a comforting smile.  
  
Rinoa smiled weakly and sighed. "I'm worried about Quisty… who would kidnap her?" she asked.  
  
Edea shrugged. "I don't know… old students or some Trepies?" she asked.  
  
Rinoa frowned and stood up and went to the window. "Could it be Seifer?" she asked.  
  
Edea's eyes grew wide at the mention of the name. She turned to Rinoa and studied her. "What about Seifer?" she asked.  
  
Rinoa's frown deepened and she clenched her fists. "It could be him, right? I mean… he's not in this Garden anymore and he still has his I.D… he must've used it to get in." she explained.  
  
Edea frowned slightly. "Question is, why would he do that to Quistis?" she asked.  
  
Rinoa bowed down her head in confusion. "I don't know…" she replied with an uneasy tone.  
  
Edea looked down to the floor. "I suppose nobody will know the truth unless we ask him ourselves…" she said finally.  
  
And silence took over the two…  
  
***  
  
Seifer opened his eyes gently and yawned. He got up from his bed and stretched while observing the clouds moving across the skies outside. "Lovely morning…" he thought with a pleased smile on his face as he went to the window. He sighed as he looked outside. He could see the ocean from where he is. "Fishing sucks… I can't even catch a single fish!" he thought, remembering what happened for the past few days. He sighed heavily and turned away from the window. "I guess maybe now, I can finally go back… I'll just have to check out and then off I go to a new start…" he thought as he headed for the bathroom.  
  
***  
  
Squall, Zell, Selphie and Rinoa were all slouching on their seats in the Cafeteria. Rinoa was already close to falling asleep, her head bobbing.  
  
Squall finished his 4th cup of black coffee for that morning.  
  
"Cid told us to stay awake while he's still thinking of ways to fix things around here… how long will it take him to do that?" Zell asked his friends.  
  
"I don't know…" Selphie muttered with a sleepy look on her face.  
  
Squall sighed heavily as he turned to Rinoa. "Can I walk your dog so that it could keep me awake?" he asked.  
  
Rinoa just nodded as she closed her eyes.  
  
Squall stood up and bent down to tap Angelo's head. "Hey, let's go," he said.  
  
But Angelo was asleep and he just growled at Squall.  
  
Squall rolled his eyes and sat down again.  
  
"Let the dog sleep, Squall…" Zell advised.  
  
"Gotta stay awake… gotta stay awake… gotta stay awake…" Selphie began to chant to herself.  
  
"Say, where's Irvine?" Squall asked.  
  
"Oh, he's in Galbadia… he had to get back there because the Headmaster was looking for him." Zell replied.  
  
"Will he be back here?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Not sure… maybe yes, maybe no…" Selphie replied as she stood up. "Can't we go someplace else? I'm already beginning to smell like coffee here." she told them.  
  
Squall, Rinoa and Zell got up with uneasy looks on their faces. "Let's go and see Cid," Squall told them.  
  
On their way to the elevator, they stopped in their tracks when they saw an awfully familiar blonde guy wearing a gray trench coat standing by the elevator door, waiting for it to come down and open up so that he could ride it going to the third floor.  
  
When he noticed that there had been eyes staring at him, he turned to their direction and his eyes grew wide upon seeing them: Squall, Rinoa, Zell and Selphie…  
  
Rinoa and Zell took a few steps backward, almost hiding behind Squall. Selphie smiled excitedly and jumped up and down. "SEIFER!" she screeched in total excitement, puzzling everyone including Seifer. She ran to him and jumped up, hugging him. "Oh, it's sooooooo nice to see you again! I never thought that we were all together as kids and now we're all back again together!" she said, squeezing him tightly.  
  
Seifer couldn't breathe. "Uh… yeah… let go…" he said in total perplexity, trying to push Selphie away from him.  
  
Selphie jumped down as she let go of him. She smiled kindly. "Sorry…" she said.  
  
"What's Selphie doing?" Zell whispered to Rinoa.  
  
"I don't know…" she replied with a shrug.  
  
Seifer looked at Squall, Zell and Rinoa. He flashed them an uneasy smile. "Uh… hi, guys. What's up?" he asked.  
  
The three looked at each other with confused looks and then turned back to Seifer. With a frown on his face, Squall marched to him, making Selphie step aside so that he could pass. "Okay, what are you up to this time?" he asked.  
  
Seifer frowned at Squall. "What do you mean?" he asked, totally clueless about the situation.  
  
"Don't play dumb with us, Seifer!" Zell snapped as he joined Squall.  
  
Selphie studied the three. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know about your friends, Selphie but I just came here to talk to Cid so that I could be readmitted." Seifer snapped with a sarcastic tone.  
  
Squall pushed Seifer against the wall. "Listen up, you…" he began.  
  
Seifer pounded against the wall with his right fist and then pushed Squall away from him with his left. "No, you listen-up, puberty-boy! I came here for serious business and now you're making me eat shit!" he said with a threatening look on his face.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! Quit that!" Rinoa snapped with a warning look on her face, pulling Squall away from Seifer.  
  
"Oh, it's you…" Seifer sneered at her.  
  
She frowned at Seifer.  
  
Squall moved away from Rinoa. "Where is Quistis?" he asked with a low tone.  
  
Seifer's frown deepened and he moved forward to them. "What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded impatiently.  
  
"I asked you a question, you must answer it." Squall snapped.  
  
"I should be the one asking you that!" Seifer said with a sarcastic smile.  
  
"Don't play innocent with me, Almasy. Stop pretending that you don't know anything." Squall told him.  
  
"What the… what the fuck are you talking about?" Seifer snapped with a perplexed look on his face.  
  
Rinoa stepped forward and punched his stomach since he's way taller than her for her to be able to punch his face.  
  
Seifer winced in pain, clutching his stomach as he tried his best to keep his balance.  
  
Rinoa pushed Squall away and she moved closer to Seifer, pushing him back against the wall. "You listen here, Almasy… haven't you caused enough trouble for the past few months? And now you're into your usual bullshit again! Can't you just go on with your freakin' life without bothering any of us here?!" she demanded in annoyance.  
  
Seifer frowned at her angrily. "Okay! Fine! I admit that I was such a jerk before but can't you at least give me a chance to prove you guys that anyone can change?!" he demanded.  
  
"We have been giving you the opportunity for as long as we can remember but you are still the same ol' Seifer Almasy just like when we were kids!" Zell snapped as he stepped forward.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! Stop that!" Selphie snapped, pushing Zell, Rinoa and Squall away from Seifer. "Are you guys out of your minds?!" she screeched in annoyance.  
  
"Selphie, what are you doing?!" Zell demanded.  
  
"Whose side are you on?" Rinoa snapped.  
  
"Will you stop that? You act like all of us weren't together when we were kids!" Selphie reasoned.  
  
"Well I wasn't really with you guys when you were kids!" Rinoa snapped.  
  
"But that doesn't give you the right to say mean things to Seifer! Can't you guys at least give him a chance to speak?" Selphie protested.  
  
Everyone fell silent including the ones passing by.  
  
Rinoa turned away, trying to blink back her tears. "If something bad happens to Quistis…" she didn't continue. She ran off.  
  
"Rinoa!" Squall called out, running after her.  
  
Seifer turned to Zell. "What's the matter, Zell? Don't you have the intention to leave me alone and follow Squall?" he demanded.  
  
Zell just looked up at him with a stern facial expression on his face. "Just go and talk to Cid, will 'ya?" he said before he turned and walked away.  
  
Selphie sighed miserably. "I'm sorry about their behavior, Seifer… I hope you understand… because they have been into some kind of stress lately…" she explained.  
  
"Why were they blaming me for something that I didn't even know about? And where is Quistis?" he asked as they got inside the elevator….  
  
***  
  
"I told you I didn't do it! I was in my hotel room sleeping!" Seifer reasoned, standing up in protest.  
  
Edea crossed her arms. "Cid, enough. I think Seifer's telling the truth." She said.  
  
Cid moved away from Seifer. "I was just asking him, Edea, I wasn't blaming him." He told her.  
  
"Sir," Xu began.  
  
All eyes turned to her. "Yes, Xu?" Cid asked.  
  
"It wasn't Seifer," she began.  
  
Seifer sat down again.  
  
"How did you find out?" Selphie asked.  
  
"The I.D. card that was used to enter the gate wasn't Seifer's. The other SeeDs investigated the security system and they were able to retrieve little information on who was the last person who got his or her I.D. scanned last night before the security system was hacked and the information changed a little." Xu replied.  
  
"Well, who's the student?" Seifer asked.  
  
"For sure it wasn't you because your I.D. number starts with the numbers 2001, but the one who owned the I.D. card had numbers starting with 9002." She explained.  
  
"Xu, there are over a hundred students here with I.D. numbers starting with 9002." Cid remarked.  
  
"Well at least our problems lessened. We can investigate those students right away." Edea explained.  
  
Seifer leaned back on the chair. "So, am I readmitted?" he asked.  
  
Cid and Edea looked at him. "We can't readmit you because you are still a student here. Now why don't you just go to your room for a while and take a rest?" Edea suggested with a warm smile.  
  
Seifer smiled and stood up. "Sure, Matron. Thanks." He replied.  
  
"Oh, by the way, where are Raijin and Fuujin?" Cid asked.  
  
Seifer stopped and turned to him. "I don't know… I thought they went here." He replied.  
  
Everyone fell silent.  
  
"They told me that they'd go ahead and return here and they'll just meet me here…" he explained.  
  
Cid went to his desk and got Fuujin's records. He pulled out an information sheet and read it aloud, "Kazeno, Fuujin; Student I.D. Number: 9002- 2000881…"  
  
"Suspect number one…" Xu muttered, looking at Seifer.  
  
Seifer scratched his head and turned to Selphie. "Why would Fuujin kidnap Quistis?" he asked with a troubled look on his face.  
  
"No idea… you know her better." Selphie told him.  
  
Seifer walked out of the Headmaster's Office with Selphie following him.  
  
***  
  
"You mean you absolutely have no idea what happened to Quistis?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Yeah, until you guys told me… and I thought that Raijin and Fuujin returned here the other day." Seifer replied as he leaned back on the chair. They were having lunch in the cafeteria.  
  
"I am really so sorry about the way Squall, Zell and Rinoa acted back there at the elevator…" she said with an embarrassed look on her face.  
  
"It's okay… anyway, aren't you supposed to be hanging out with them and not me?" he demanded with an uneasy look on his face.  
  
"Uh… no. I think you need me here for a while since almost everyone seems to be against you… besides, I don't see the point on why they should hate you; because I'm pretty sure, just like what Quisty mentioned, you are really different from the rest in a very good way." she explained with a kind smile.  
  
He stared at her for a while. "Quisty?" he asked.  
  
"Don't you remember our childhood in Edea's house?" she asked with a sweet smile.  
  
He smiled. "Of course I remember it well. It took a while to do so, but now it's all clear to me, like it only happened yesterday." He explained.  
  
"That's great!" Selphie said with a happy expression on her face.  
  
Seifer studied her for a while and then looked away. "Quistis really told you that?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. Why?" she asked.  
  
He shrugged. "It's just unusual for me to hear praises and encouraging words from her about me…" he admitted.  
  
Selphie nodded. "I see… well then, maybe she can really see what you really are from the inside. I think you're really a nice guy, you know? I mean, you weren't really mean all the time when we were kids, right?" she asked.  
  
He just nodded uneasily. "I see…" was all he could say.  
  
They were interrupted when Squall entered and was headed for them. Seifer eyed him suspiciously with a frown on his face. "Now what…" he muttered to Selphie.  
  
Selphie felt a little bothered. "What does he want this time?" she thought.  
  
Squall sat down beside Selphie.  
  
Seifer frowned at him. "What do you want?" he asked.  
  
Squall shrugged. "I just want to apologize for acting like a jerk a while ago…" he said with a frown on his face.  
  
Seifer flashed him a friendly smile. "Well, that's okay, Puberty-b… uh… I mean, Squall…" he said.  
  
Squall's eyes narrowed and just pretended that he didn't hear what Seifer had said. "Great… how did I end up being Puberty-boy anyway…" he thought miserably to himself.  
  
"Anyway, is that all you came here for?" Seifer demanded.  
  
"No." Squall replied.  
  
"Well what? I haven't got all day, you know?!" Seifer snapped with an impatient look on his face.  
  
Squall looked at Selphie for a while, flashing her an I-can't-believe- you're-hanging-out-with-this-guy look. Selphie smiled sweetly at Squall and stood up. "I'll be checking on Zell for a while. Can I leave you guys here?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, we'll be bonding and the next time you see us, we're already buddies!" Seifer said with a sarcastic tone.  
  
Squall eyed him. "What the…" was all he could say.  
  
Selphie waved goodbye at them and ran out of the Cafeteria.  
  
Seifer turned to Squall and flashed him a look of annoyance. "Be thankful that I'm not much into an angry mood today or else I would've kicked you and girlfriend's asses away from my face moments ago." He told him with a sneer.  
  
Squall's frown deepened. "You leave Rinoa alone, she was just confused because Quistis is missing and she thinks that she's to blame because she wasn't even able to save her." he explained.  
  
Seifer eyed him. "I'm sure you've heard that Fuujin's a suspect, huh?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah… I just talked to Xu and Nida… anyway, I really wanna talk to you about something… it's about Raijin and Fuujin." Squall began.  
  
"Shoot," Seifer urged.  
  
Squall nodded. "2 days ago, Rinoa overheard their conversation while having dinner before they checked out. They said something about helping you in your plans and then preparing and fixing a house." He began.  
  
Seifer fell silent and looked at Squall. "House?" he asked.  
  
Squall studied him. "Don't tell me you don't know anything about the house?" he asked.  
  
"I no nothing of it. Tell me more," Seifer urged as he moved closer so that they could talk in private.  
  
Squall made eye contact with his former archrival. "You mean you don't know anything about Raijin and Fuujin's plans?" he asked.  
  
"All I know is that they're supposed to go here and I'll be following them, but now they're not here and I don't know where the hell they are!" Seifer explained.  
  
Squall looked down. "Cid actually left me in charge of this situation, but I'd like to ask for your help since you are friends with Raijin and Fuujin. We can start by looking for your friends." He said.  
  
Seifer nodded without giving it a second thought. "Okay. Let's go," he said.  
  
-----------  
  
to be continued… 


	3. Dear Seifer III

Dear Seifer

By: General Quistis

Disclaimer: you know the drill…

---------------------------------- 

Dear Seifer, I feel sad 

_I am about to go mad_

_Dunno if it's just a fad_

_Or this feeling's good for a lifetime…_

*** 

Quistis opened her eyes to familiar sound of waves crashing against some rocks and the shore. "Just like when I was just a little girl in Matron's house…" she thought silently to herself as she looked around the place. From what she saw, she thought that she was traveling back in time. "Th…this was… what the…" she realized, finally confused. She was on a bed with pink covers and pillows. Beside the bed she was on was another bed with yellow covers and pillows. The cool ocean breeze entered through the window as she continued to scan the room… and herself: hands tied behind her, her feet chained to the bedpost. "Darn… what happened?" she thought. She tried to open her mouth but she found out that there's this duct tape binding her lips together. "Mrpughght!" she made a muffled sound.

She saw her Save The Queen placed neatly on the dressing table…

"This room once belonged to me and Selphie…" she realized. She even recalled that the connecting room would lead to the boys' room with three beds. 

She tried to move, struggling to twist her hands free from the ropes that bounded them behind her. "Shit…" she thought in annoyance. 

It was already late afternoon and the sun was already setting. "How long was I knocked-out?" she thought in confusion.

She tried to calm herself down but the more she thought about the fact that she's back in Edea's House in Centra, the more she felt panicky. "WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?!" she thought in total confusion, trying hard to fight back her tears.

She sat still for 10 more minutes and realized that it was slowly getting darker as the sun continued to set quickly. Finally, before everything began to get very dark, someone opened the main door to the room, letting in some light from the fluorescent bulbs on the ceilings in the hallway. Quistis turned to the person who opened the door and her eyes grew wide when she realized who it was. "Frhuughjnn?!" she tried to say.

It was Fuujin. She switched on the lights inside the room. "RAIJIN," she called.

Quistis heard loud footsteps getting nearer. Finally, there was Raijin. "Oh, hello, Instructor Trepe. Nice to know you're awake, ya know?" he said as he got in and approached her.

"Raijin and Fuujin?! What are they doing here?! Does this mean that Seifer's also here?" she thought in panic.

"Fuujin is cooking our dinner tonight. She's pretty good in the culinary arts… ya know…we have fish for you, but what kind of dish for the fish? She can fry it or boil it or grill it, ya know?" he explained.

Quistis and Fuujin flashed him an annoyed look. "RAGE!" Fuujin said before kicking his shin.

Raijin jumped up and down while howling in pain.

"Fool! I can't even speak properly and you're asking me questions!" Quistis tried to say, but all they could understand was "Frmghl! Ierigh cnghfht evrhg sperkgh prerhgprghlrhgy ernght yergh mrhshghng mrgh qghrstrghns!"

Fuujin approached her and gently removed the duct tape from her mouth. "BETTER." She said.

Quistis frowned at her. "Okay, what is this all about?" she asked in annoyance.

"Oh, you are in Edea's house, ya know? We took you here so that we can surprise Seifer, ya know…" Raijin explained with a goofy smile on his face while Fuujin went to the window and closed the curtains.

"Oh, so you are taking me as hostage here until Seifer comes? Where the hell is your boss?" Quistis demanded.

"Oh… we don't know, but maybe we'll see him sometime and tell him to come home here where his prize is, ya know?" Raijin said.

"PRIZE?! What are you talking about?!" Quistis demanded in annoyance.

Raijin chuckled. "Oh… ya know, Seifer told us a secret days ago… it's about you, ya know… and…" before he could continued, Fuujin threw him a teddy bear and the hand hit his eye. "OW!" he cried out in pain.

"SECRET! DON'T TELL! RAGE!" she shouted angrily as she approached Quistis and sat down on the bed beside her. "YOU STAY 'TIL SEIFER ARRIVES, OKAY?" she asked with a smile.

Quistis felt a little confused. "You're creeping me out… did he plan this?" she asked.

"Actually… Fuujin and I decided to get you for him. He doesn't know any single detail about this plan, ya know?" Raijin explained.

Quistis blinked when she realized that Fuujin was already releasing her from the ropes and the chains. "Wh…why did you tie me up?" she asked.

"For security reasons, ya know. If you woke up and we're not there, you might escape, ya know? So we figured that we should tie you up first so that once you woke up, you'll still be here, ya know? We know that you always want a decent explanation before you decide for yourself what to do. I sure that once you hear us out, you will understand why Fuujin and I did this to you, ya know? And then maybe you won't attempt to escape?" he asked.

Quistis didn't quite understand what he said, all she heard clearly was the "ya know"s and it was about to drive her crazy, but she kept quiet and nodded. "Okay, I'll just stay here and behave as long as this isn't something that I'll regret…" she said softly.

Finally, she could move freely. "Thanks, Fuujin," she said with a weak smile.

Fuujin smiled gently at her. "COME DOWNSTAIRS?" she asked.

Quistis turned to Raijin for a while.

"NO REGRETS. SEIFER. QUISTIS." Fuujin continued.

Quistis scratched her head. "I don't understand it but okay, I'll go with you downstairs…" she said. Raijin helped her get out of the bed. Fuujin went ahead so that she could prepare their dinner.

"Raijin, what's going on? Please tell me." Quistis pleaded as they got down.

"Well, as I've mentioned earlier, Seifer told us a secret and we just thought that you are his prize for telling us that secret, ya know!" he explained.

"What's the secret?" Quistis asked.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, ya know?" he replied as he led the way to the dining room. Quistis looked around. Everything looked exactly like it was when she was just a little girl in that house… 

"Uh… Raijin," she began.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asked with an uneasy tone.

Raijin stopped walking and she also stopped so that she won't bump onto him. "Oh… never really thought of the answer to that, ya know?" he replied with a wink.

Quistis looked away, frowning. She shrugged and turned away. "I'll just be in the living room. Don't worry, I'll just stay there and I won't dare escape." She promised as she made her way out of the dining room to the living room. She stopped by the doorway when she got there as memories began to flood her mind, that she didn't know where should she begin to reminisce. She smiled sadly at the memories. "Too bad, I'm already 18 and those childhood days are over…" she thought as she got inside and sat down on the couch. She remembered how she and Selphie would hide under the couch and Zell couldn't find them during hide-and-seek. She sighed heavily as she leaned back on the soft couch. "Comforting as always…" she realized while recalling the times when she would get scared of monsters and cry; Matron would always carry her to the couch and hug her there until she eases up.

After a while, Fuujin entered and she was wearing this blue apron. "DINNER." She called.

Quistis stood up and smiled at her. "Thanks," she said.

"YOU OKAY?" Fuujin asked while on their way to the dining room.

"I'm pretty much fine… I was just reminiscing about my childhood." Quistis replied.

"How was Seifer like when he was a little boy, ya know?" Raijin asked.

Quistis smiled at the question as she sat down. "Well… same as always. Picking fights with everyone including me. His favorite target was Zell, always chanting 'cry-baby zell' every now and then…" she replied.

"PICTURE," Fuujin said as she got a framed picture from one of the chinaware cabinets. She handed it to Quistis. Matron and 6 children: 2 girls and 4 boys.

Quistis smiled upon seeing it and with a trembling hand, she pointed a finger at the blonde boy seated beside the blonde girl; the one who gave her horns with his fingers sticking up behind her head and while doing so, he was grinning evilly. "This naughty bratling is Seifer. The unfortunate girl with horns is me…" she explained, trying to control her laughter.

Raijin and Fuujin looked over her shoulders and smiled. "FUNNY. SEIFER." Fuujin remarked.

"Yep, that is the Seifer I know, ya know?" Raijin said.

"And I'm pretty sure you all know that this one's Zell because of the tattoo… and this girl with the cheerful smile hugging Zell is Selphie; and this one seated on Matron's lap is Irvine and this scowling boy is Squall." She explained.

"You all seem happy back then, ya know?" Raijin asked.

"AFFIRMATIVE!" Fuujin agreed.

Quistis looked at her child form and Seifer… and she fell silent. 

She just returned to photo to Fuujin and she never spoke a single thing throughout dinner. She never even listened to Raijin's talking and Fuujin's annoyance upon Raijin's talking.

Her mind seemed to be in another dimension and she only snapped out of it the moment she was getting ready for bed. 

Though tired, she kept herself a little bit more awake by writing simple words again on a piece of paper…

*** 

Dear Seifer, make this stop 

_Or everything in me might flop._

_You're making me wanna die_

_And every night you make me cry…_

_Dear Seifer… so alone,_

_Knowing these feelings have grown_

_I sit alone, realizing_

_While secretly I continue dreaming_

_Hoping it won't be turning_

_Into a very regretful nightmare…_

_*** _

Edea was looking outside the window, reminiscing about the good times when her "children" were still children. She was smiling gently while listening to the voices of Squall, Seifer, Zell and Selphie conversing from behind her.

She knew that something was missing. 

Yes, the voices of Quistis, Seifer and Irvine…

She sighed heavily as she leaned against the windowpane.

Selphie noticed Edea's sudden behavior. "Is there something wrong, Matron?" she asked.

Edea's smile widened; and with a cheerful expression on her face, she turned to face them. "You know, I remember the supposedly formal pictorial we were supposed to have years ago before someone adopted Zell." She said, stressing the word "supposedly".

Seifer smiled because he knew why. "Oh… ehehehe…" he said, raking his fingers through his hair upon remembering what he did as the camera flashed: he placed horns on Quistis.

Selphie giggled. "Oh, I remember! I was hugging Zell there!" she said with a slight blush on her face.

"Well, if it weren't for these two, the picture would've been the perfect family photo I've ever seen!" Zell said airily, eyeing Seifer and Selphie.

Edea chuckled. "Well, formal or informal, you are still my children… anyway, I believe it's still in my old house in Centra… I'd appreciate it if it's with me again… but I don't know where I put it…" she said.

"We could look for it," Selphie said with a cheerful tone.

Squall signaled for Seifer that they go ahead before Selphie could convince them to come with her, but she noticed the two tiptoeing out of the room. "HEY! You're not going anywhere!" she snapped.

The two stopped, frowning impatiently, but when they faced Selphie, they both had happy smiles on their faces. "Tell you what, Seifer and I will take Ragnarok and then we'll be passing by Edea's house on our way to only Hyne knows where to find Quistis… you stay here with Matron and Zell, is that better for you?" Squall asked.

Edea smiled at Squall. "Why, thank you, Squall and Seifer… but why bother to get that picture?" she asked.

"Oh… you know, for the memories… besides, I quite enjoyed what I did there." Seifer said with a wink.

Edea laughed. "Well, okay… whatever you want." She finally said.

With that, Squall and Seifer left.

*** 

Quistis had awoken to the sound of voices arguing downstairs. She immediately got up and rushed down to see what was going on. To her surprise, Fuujin was already beating up Raijin. "Hey!" Quistis snapped, rushing to them and pulling Fuujin away from Raijin. "What the hell is going on?" she demanded.

Fuujin turned to her with an angry look on her face. "SEIFER. FURIOUS." She told her.

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "Furious?" she asked.

Raijin stood up properly despite the pain he was feeling. "Fuujin here stated that we shouldn't have kidnapped you because Seifer will be furious, ya know. We just found out that he's in Balamb Garden and he's already looking for you, ya know," he explained.

"RAIJIN. IDIOT." Fuujin stressed, eyeing him angrily.

"Well, it was your idea, ya know!" he snapped.

"RAGE!" Fuujin shouted before kicking him again.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Raijin cried out continuously.

Quistis shook her head and smiled weakly, not knowing what to do. "Hey… will you just stop blaming each other?" she asked.

Fuujin stopped and smiled at Quistis. "NEGATIVE!" and then she turned back to Raijin to continue kicking him.

Quistis rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch, watching them. "This is fun… almost better than T.V…." she thought as she crossed her arms. "So, would you mind telling me the truth about why you guys even bothered to kidnap me and I'm gonna make sure that your necks are safe from Seifer's Hyperion." She told them.

The two stopped and turned to her. "CONFUSED." Fuujin told her.

Raijin stood up and dusted himself. "Are you sure you're not trickin' us, ya know? Coz sometimes, you can be so sly, ya know… Seifer would usually tell us that you're not what others say you were… ya know?" he said as he approached her.

Quistis leaned back on the couch. "No, I'm not trickin' you, ya know." she said, imitating the way he spoke earlier.

Fuujin smiled and sat down beside her. "SEIFER. ADMIRATION. YOU." She said with a sweet smile on her face.

Quistis frowned slightly, not being able to understand what she meant. "Admiration?" she asked.

Fuujin nodded.

Raijin sat down on the coffee table facing her; Quistis wondered why it didn't give way for his weight. She just ignored the funny thought that it might give way and he'll fall; she looked at him with a questioning look on her face. "Well… compared to Fuujin, I can understand Raijin's sentences better…" she thought. "So, Raijin… could you elaborate on Fuujin's statement?" she asked with her usual bossy tone as an instructor.

"Well… ya know… Seifer admires you, ya know?" he replied.

Quistis didn't know what to say or how to react. She raised an eyebrow. "Oh… I see…" was all she could say with her trembling voice. Suddenly, she didn't have the guts to continue speaking and asking questions. "Maybe I should go out for a while and enjoy the ocean breeze… it's getting stuffy in here…" she thought, feeling her heart beating faster as she stepped away from them. 

Raijin and Fuujin watched as she left.

When she reached the shore, she stopped. She observed the waves crash against her leather boots… and she clenched her fists. "What kind of admiration?" she thought with a slight blush, hoping that it isn't the kind of admiration a student has for a good instructor…

*** 

"This is the dumbest day ever…" Seifer muttered.

"Why did you even volunteer to get the picture?" Squall replied with a glum look as he began to land the Ragnarok.

"Hey, it's the least I can do to somehow prove that even I can be a good boy, ya know?" Seifer replied as he stood up from his seat.

They got down, still arguing even as they entered the property. They just stopped when they saw that everything was in place. "Hey…" they managed to say.

"What happened here?" Squall asked with a perplexed look.

"It's like… just like… just like when we were kids…" Seifer said, looking around.

Squall smiled happily while looking around. "Yeah… hey, remember when we used to play kick ball over there?" he said, referring to the area near the entrance to the house.

Seifer laughed and went to the part. "Yeah, and I'll end up kicking your ass instead of the ball." He said.

Squall followed him. "Just one question…" he began with a serious tone.

Seifer turned to him with a frown on his face. "Yeah, why's this house in good shape?" he asked.

Squall looked at the main door. "Maybe someone lives here…" he said.

"Without Matron's permission? I thought she said that no one lives here anymore?" Seifer said before heading to the main door. 

Squall watched quietly as Seifer slowly opened the door. Upon looking inside, Seifer's eyes grew wide. "What the…" was all he could say.

Squall joined him as they got inside, studying the whole place.

"Whoa…" Seifer said.

Squall ran his fingers through his hair. "Nope… I'm still 17 years old and I'm a grown up… and I am not time-traveling…" he muttered glumly.

Seifer faced him. "Well then what the hell is this?! How come everything's in place and…" he stopped when Squall uttered, "AHA!"

Seifer made a face. "What's with the AHA?!" he demanded, imitating the way Squall uttered the word.

Squall faced him. "Raijin and Fuujin said something about a house… this could be it!" he said.

Seifer was quiet for a while. "Why would they want this house? What are they, a happy family or something?" he asked.

"No, don't you understand? If this is the house they were talking about, then Quistis must be here!" Squall reasoned as he led the way.

Seifer went after him and stopped him. "Wait! There might be some traps here. I know those two, they're tricky." He warned.

Squall looked around. "But why would they even bother to fix this house?" he asked.

"I don't know what's going on in their minds… but I'd better look for them first." Seifer decided before pushing Squall aside so that he could go ahead.

Squall sighed heavily and frowned before going after him…

*** 

to be continued…


End file.
